Nicholls State vs Southeastern Louisiana 1/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Southeastern Louisiana Lions (6-9) vs. Nicholls State Colonels (10-6)
January 8, 2022 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: Nicholls State Colonels -5.5 ; Over/Under: 154
(Get latest betting odds)
The Southeastern Louisiana Lions and the Nicholls State Colonels meet Saturday in college basketball action from Merrell Center. Southeastern Louisiana is coming off a Friday win over McNeese State. As for Nicholls State, they managed a Friday victory over Texas A&M-CC. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Southeastern Louisiana went 3-5 over their first eight games this year, taking wins over SE Baptist, Paul Quinn and Ecclesia. Since then it’s been a 3-4 run for the Lions with wins over Troy, Houston Baptist and McNeese State.
In the McNeese State matchup, the Lions jumped out to a 52-40 halftime lead and hung on for the 83-78 win. Southeastern Louisiana’s leading scorers were Gus Okafor and Ryan Burkhardt, each with 20 points and a combined 14 rebounds.
Over on the Nicholls State side, they hit a 4-3 run over their first seven games, then notched a three-game win streak before a loss to Wisconsin. The Colonels would go 3-2 over their next five outings with wins over MS Valley State, Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-CC.
In Friday’s game versus the Islanders, Nicholls State scored 46 points in the first half and 38 more in the second for an 84-75 win. Top scorer Pierce Spencer put up 20 points with eight rebounds, and Caleb Huffman added 18 points with four boards.
Nicholls State is 5-2 ATS in their last seven neutral-site games as a favorite and the over is 7-1 in their last eight overall. Meanwhile, Southeastern LA is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 after an ATS win and the under is 7-3 in their last 10 after an ATS win.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions have certainly had their ups and downs this year, but they’re playing much better over the last pair. SE Louisiana has notched 173 combined points in that time. That said, the Lions have given up quite a bit of offense on the other side routinely this season. Considering how well Nicholls State has been scoring over the last three games, this should also be a high-total affair. I like Southeastern Louisiana to keep the pace well enough for a cover, though.
